Seward's Day

Andy and I had the day off from work today! Why? It's a holiday celebrating Alaska's sale to the U.S., which was known for some time as Seward's Folly. I guess it's why we use U.S. currency and speak English instead of Russian!

Anyway, we started our day off with a great Alaska tradition, SOURDOUGH. Sourdough Starter has sustained many a meal for miners in the frozen North and many other pioneers and villages. I've kept my starter "alive" (because it is, considering the yeast) for about a year now after taking a great class in Nome. My starter comes from the village of Shishmaref. Its residency is the fridge in this jar:

I regenerated the Starter Sunday night so it was ready to whip into pancake batter the next morning. I wish you could smell the Starter from this photo (it's sour, obviously).The cool thing about sourdough pancakes is how they puff up big as you cook and flip 'em! I've also made cookies, bread and biscuits with this Starter. What Andy and I discovered & recommend is using Strawberry Syrup instead of Maple. How healthy that is...well, never you mind! Today we added real strawberries to the strawberry syrup...yummmmmm!I doubt the original gold miners had fresh, on-sale strawberries for their flapjacks!

It was a Berry-good long weekend when my friend Jodi & I made Triple Berry (straw-rasp-black) jam Sunday! To top off the fun, I bought a bike on-sale from REI and we went bowling! Andy's a great bowler, by the way, even when he's rusty! I broke a 100 which made me happy.

Along with being Jodi's Maid-of-Honor in Seward this June, my friend, Liz, has asked me to a be bridesmaid in Nome this July! She's very kind in sharing about it in her blog. Busy, joyous summer already planned. 

As for our wedding, Andy & I scoped out venues and accommodations today as well. Some things look promising!

*Amy

Spring Break

Vegas was never a destination or trip I thought about or desired, particularly because I don't gamble. But pair up with good friends, nearly all first-timers, and the chance to bust out of winter for the desert, and we set it up. 

Las Vegas exceeded my expectations and I'll be excited to go back some day. One of the best parts of our week was the warmer-than-usual temperatures. We thawed out in about 80-degree heat every day!  Check out this beautiful sky and sunshine...My friends and former Nome roommates, Nikki & Zeb, were our excellent company. For those who don't know, Nikki & Andy also graduated high school together in Wisconsin. We stayed at Treasure Island and spent most of our days away from the hustle of the Strip for the comfort, music and cool beverages of TI's tropical pool area. Ahhhh...it was perfect for all of us. 

We did some gambling. Nikki & I dabbled at the slots and the guys did the same or hit up Black Jack. The one time Nikki and I put down money at a real table with a real dealer was for...Casino War! How could we resist an easy and funny game like that?! We laughed quite a bit alone with the dealer and next thing we knew, we had a full table and crowd watching the 50-50 chance of winning!

We timed the trip so Nikki could travel during her spring break from teaching, which allowed us to enjoy St. Patrick's Day on the Strip. I hadn't had this much Irish fete since I was actually in Ireland. We joined the packed crowds at New York New York's Nine Fine Irishmen pub.

Guinness was flowing and Irish music livened the indoor atmosphere. Outside, on the "Brooklyn Bridge," rocked an excellent U2 tribute band, who played earlier on the Today Show. This clip is a little long but the music is dedicated to my ole Galway roommates!

The bonus for our Green festivities was the company of our friend, Beth. Though our friendship's origins are in Nome, we three ladies manage to meet up in various places. Beth was also on her spring break from teaching in Soldotna. Cheers (slainte) to girlfriends in Vegas! 

We also saw some shows, including great seats at Cirque de Soleil's Mystere. Of course we had to make the rounds and check out the other big casinos, but we left plenty to do and see for the next time...

After a nice dinner and before Mystere:

The girls with hot drinks at Paris...

and the guys with cold drinks at the Bellagio fountain show...

One last neat photo of the 2,000 hand blown glass flowers on the ceiling entrance inside the Bellagio...

Oh, and we did see Elvis alive and well on a few occasions. One time, the King was helping sell Mexican food!

*Amy

Vegas Return

Amy and I have safely made it back to Alaska from our desert vacation.  We didn't strike it rich, but we didn't lose our house either.  The weather was great and so was the company.  A more detailed post will follow with appropriate photos.  And no, we did not get married by Elvis, even though I would not have objected.

High Rollers!

Our Vegas trip is finally upon us tonight! Thanks to everyone for all the suggestions. We're ready to ditch the cold winds that just blew in for the forecasted upper 70-lower 80s temps! 

NO, we're not getting married :) It will be a lot of fun with Nikki & Zeb because 3 out of 4 of us are Vegas first-timers. Can't wait to see the limo waiting at the airport with the promised long-stemmed roses for the ladies. Haha! This trip comes just in time because I've begun obsessing over Iditarod updates. I need a break since I won't be in Nome for the finishes.

Here's to Wayne, Frank, Elvis and all the rest...

A Beautiful Butte

Last Saturday we had blinding sunshine raining down on our winter-weary white bodies. So we researched a summer trail and busted out of the house in 20-degree weather. Our quest for activity in the sun took us to the Butte, an area of the Mat-Su that is the "butt" of a lot of jokes for its Valley trash reputation. For a few hours it was our playground and work out gym. Andy & I sweated, huffed & puffed, burned those lazy leg muscles and kept watch for moose (because we saw 3 that day). Well, maybe I did all the huffing and puffing; Andy's in a lot better shape!

This clip describes the hike but cuts off the cheesy couple shot--shoot!

The only person we encountered was riding a HORSE along the easy part of the trail! Here we were expecting antlered animals, but I guess hoofed critters would do too. Nice to have wide open space to ourselves, even in urban AK.

This time, a Fan

The Last Great Race officially started today! The 37th Iditarod is on its way to Nome, and for the first time I saw the Restart in Willow, around 30 miles north of Wasilla. I joined my photographer friend, Rod, and is wife Barbara for the big husky show. Only 67 mushers starting this year and also for the first time, I'm not interviewing any of them. It's kinda weird.

Lots of these trucks seen on the highway lately as mushers from all over arrived in our territory:

I didn't have any "credentials" to enter the limited access area of mushers, that is, until Rod borrowed a musher handler's badge for me! I thanked that handler and he gave me this 3 1/2 month old puppy in return...The two-colored eye puppy belongs to this four-time Iditarod Champ, Jeff King!

Definitely a Fan, not a Reporter this time!

Then the mushers took off. Here's my bud and contender, Paul Gebhardt:

And now a crowd favorite...this video clip is dedicated to my Grandparents...

(read with building drama) Will Lance three-peat? Will Jeff give his runner-up revenge? Will Hans Gatt pull off his big expectations? Will Paul G.'s new lease on life give him a boost? Will Bjorner Anderson get his time representing Team Norway? Will Sven Haltmann bust a move as a non-rookie? Will the Zirkle/Moore kennel finally taste victory? Will Mitch Seavey conquer the Nome trail again? Will the deep snow lengthen this run? Will the coastal trail ever be storm free?!

So much to learn in the next 9+days...Happy Trails!

*Amy

Boy, do I love a Curd

Judy's back in Wasilla. Know how I know? There are Wisconsin cheese curds in our fridge.Judy is Andy's mom and she's on her latest trip to Alaska. First in Nome to G2 &  family and now in Wasilla with us! It's great having her here although today we're in a Winter Weather Advisory. It's been snowing the good FLUFFY stuff since we woke this morning. Andy estimates we have 10 inches on the ground and it's expected to keep snowing for five more hours. That means we're enjoying the indoors and snacking A LOT. 

Judy is our cheese curd hook up. She feeds our Midwest-dairy-lovin' cravins'. Cheese curds are the yummy original pieces of newly made cheese:

Know what I love more than poppin' these squeaky nuggets? WHEN THEY'RE DEEP FRIED. In my world, cheese curds are what you buy at the Minnesota State Fair and eat until you're sick. At the fair, they're deep fried.I CRAVE them year-round in this form. And let me tell you, an authentic basket of fried curds are harder to come by because places are now opting for the pre-made "cheese nugget." Not the same thing, no way. Doesn't this make your mouth water?! If not, then you've never been to the MN State Fair. 

Well, given this snowy day, Judy and I have decided to try our own! We're sacrificing the original curds she lovingly packed and will coat them in beer batter and attempt the frying on our own. She's mixing ingredients right now!

So if you're interested, try the dairy section of your midwest grocer's. There are many recipes to Google, but here's an easy one I found:

3 12 oz. cheese curds

vegetable oil for frying

Batter: 1 cup flour

1/4 cup corn meal

1/4-1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 egg

3 oz. (1/4 can) of beer

Mix batter (adding beer a bit at a time) until it's a thick liquid consistency.

Coat cheese curds in batter and drop into oil (about 375 degrees F) about 5 at a time.

Cook curds for about 1 minute (until they start to turn golden) and place on paper towel covered plate.

Enjoy (don't worry, we will!!)

*Amy